Is This What A Member Of The British Royal Family Should Be Doing

[vernonk]

Meghan Markle has outlined her feminist credentials and declared her commitment to gender equality. Is t right that a member of the British royal family - who’ve traditionally stayed right out of such issues - should be allowed to take such a stance? Have the senior royals made a huge error in allowing her such freedom so early on in her royal life? Are they fearful of saying no to her already, in a similar way to political correctness strongly affecting the U.K. as a whole? Is this the direction the monarchy - who are unelected, let’s not forget - should be heading in?

[sp1814]

AOG

//Well I wager that there is not one none royal male that is anywhere near equal to her//

You’d need to define equal. Do non-royal men have less equality of opportunity than her?

Do less attractive women have less opportunities in life than her?

Do less well off people have fewer opportunities than her?

Simply put - the world is not equal. However, leaving aside variables which are difficult to counter (education, parents, geography etc) - we really should ensure that the one big variable (sex) should not be an obstacle to achieving one’s full potential.

[jim360]

I wouldn't be so confident about that -- but, in any case, equal rights and equal opportunities tend not to maintain themselves.

[Kromovaracun]

//There is no such thing as "equality" among any sentient beings, it's an idealistic, post-modernist illusion//

Brilliant. I guess we'll just abandon equality of opportunity and equality before the law, and any concept of basic human rights. What did they ever do for us, eh?

[sp1814]

Her stance is absolutely going to turn many people against her.

Feminism and gender-equality are not ‘safe’ subjects for a member of the Royal Family, as many see them as contentious.

Remember when Diana, Princess of Wales leant her support to HIV/AID causes back in the 80s - there was the same sense of unease.

Overall, I’m glad Meghan is stirring things up a bit.

[bednobs]

anesthetic*** for the pedantics among us

or even anaesthetic for the pedants

[jackthehat]

And *that* would be because you are a man in his early 20's, spath....

[Kromovaracun]

Feminism only becomes bizarre when you go to the radical fringes (e.g. people like Andrea Dworkin or Susan Brownmiller). Unless explicitly signalled otherwise I think we can do each other the compliment of assuming that by "feminism" we mean the mainstream, sensible movement for equal rights and opportunities between the sexes- which has the "fem" prefix purely for historical reasons. Let's not just let the crazies have the word, eh?

[Khandro]

Kromo; //Brilliant. I guess we'll just abandon equality of opportunity and equality before the law, and any concept of basic human rights. What did they ever do for us, eh?//

There is no 'equality of opportunity' in this world, because no one is equal. The best you can hope for is to be aware Schopenhauer's aphorism; "Fate shuffles the cards and we play".

[jim360]

Fairly sure you're mixing up outcome with opportunity. And fairly sure, for that matter, that you're mixing up sounding sophisticated with actually having something meaningful to say.

[youngmafbog]

//Let's not just let the crazies have the word, eh? //

So why continue to use the word because "The crazies" have now reframed it? There is no need to use it, instead use the word equality that way it works for all and singles no particular group in or out.

Whether you like it or not using the word feminism conjurors up images of ladies in comfortable shoes burning their underwear etc to many.

[Islay]

Well spath i think that says more about your maturity than the word don't you?

[Kromovaracun]

//the word feminism to me paints a picture of women screaming in my face that they are allowed to have armpit hair when no one gives a toss what they hell they do with their bodys male or female.//

I suggest you read more.

//Whether you like it or not using the word feminism conjurors up images of ladies in comfortable shoes burning their underwear etc to many.//

I don't understand what your point is. "Many" can think what they want. It doesn't change what it is.

[jackthehat]

That's only true in the West......in the Orient where it originated it is still accepted as a symbol for peace.

[jackthehat]

Yes, we are.
Which is why we have a differing perspective on the significance of it.

You are a young man which is why *you* have a different (somewhat stereotypical) notion of quite what Feminism means.